Wichita eagle., 1887-05-27
LITTLE DICK.

had of it. Her husband, rpwdy and the
bully of the settlement, had given I'D the
ghost some years prior TO the breaking out OF
the war, and left her with five sous and one
frail daughter to the niercies OF cold and
cruel world.
"Aunt Nina" we were taught t. call her.
was gaunt and grizzled specimen of a
cracker woman, uncoutli in dress, unculturei
in speech, but truer, braver heart never up
held the honest dignity Of motherhood than
the scared and oft grief stricken heart of
| Aunt Nina Loring.
She had had trouble when her husband was
alive. She had spent many sleepless night
| when her neglectful lord was indulging in the
wild orgies of the crossroads grocery's biggest
carousal. Every time the great. owl would
boot from his perch in the great pine tree in
the lonely woods her heart would leap and
she would expect to hear the rough "hello.''
at the gate from some half drunken COM
panion come to tell her that Ebenezer was
killed or badly hurt.
OF the boys, there was young Eben, hale
and hearty, the image of his father when
first Aunt Nina danced with him at the
party after the quilting and log rolling day,
SO long ago. Mack came next, a stout, comedy
|
| trious. Riley was tall aad slender, like his
mother in form, but like his father, wild
sort of fellow in disposition. Hamp came
fourth among the boys, but Betty was older
| than he. Ha1np was blockheaded, stupid
sort of lad fond of trapping for birds and
| fishing in Grand bay, as the big, black
| swamp, back Of the little plantation, was
called. And then there was Little Dick.
| When the war come Eben, Mack and Riley
had all grown up to manhood, and might
| have supported their mother handsomely
but their fathers shiftless career seemed to
initiate against them, and they generally
came ont at the end of the year with scarce
nubbin corn enough for bread, and the
yellow COW peas and the stringy potatoes
were hardly equal to the emergency of
| Strengthening out the lean tanks OF the few
bundles of bone and bristle, known as ''piney
woods rooters," and sometimes mistaken for
hogs.
Nevertheless, by the aid of the good
mother, and the scrawny looking slip Of
sister, they managed to live. Then came the
war. Aunt Nina and Betty spun and wove
the cloth from which Eben's first uniform of
gray mixed cloth was made, and the strong,
sturdy fellow was not sorry that he had
chance Of "Gittin' out O. henscratch o. the
house." as he expressed it. Riley and Macl,
soon followed, and the beams of the old loom
trembled as the shuttle flew back and forth
turning its strokes to the rhythmic drone Of
the busy spinning wheel They were busy,
Aunt Nina and Betty, weaving a suit for
Hamp, and all too soon the call came. Tho
hungry call for more troops. The blood
curdling howl of the famiShed dogs of war
"More men, More men," And when the
men were torn and rent asunder, the last,
most heartrending demand came, "Give US
your boys! Give lis your boys!n
All, the war, the war! Not satisfied with
the blood Of men, the tender forms OF cher
ished boyhood-all-all must go. Not con-
tent with the vel w grain the tender stalk,
while yet in the milk. must he cut down.
The flower of the south was pucled and
trampled under the iron heel of relentless
war and now the gaunt, bloody hand was
extended to Gull the half blown bud the hops
of the land
-Four boys gone marching away to die for a
cause, the business of which the poor widow
was unable to argue What did she care for
the doctrine of states rights How could the
perpetuation or abolition of slavery affect her?
Her four boys were gone marching away,
marching away. Not with plumes waving
and victorious banners floating in the breeze
No not triumphant and flushed with hope
They had gone marching away into the jaws
of grim death, to I'll the breach in the lines
by the Potomac's crimsoned flood Marching
away with Hopping cloth hats and mixed
gray uniforms OF homespun, and i'll fitting
shoes of red leather, your boys had gone,
marching away, marching away
Eben was killed in the wilderness, Riley
died in prison. Hamp died Of exhaustion and
the hardships of northern climate, while
following Jeb Stuart in his wild rides over
mountain and valley
All. you that are thrilled with stirring emo
tons when you read how that knightly com
mander, bearded and booted. rode forward
down into battle with a song on his lips:
When the dew is on the blossom.
Little think We how many brave boyisb
hearts swelled MP into their Threats at the
thought of widowed mothers among the bar
rens.
Mack came home, He was brought on the
cars to the nearest station, and then bauled il
a cart to his home in the piney woods. Only
the poor, shattered wreck Of man came
home, and she had watched four stout lads 60
marching away.
Il haint got but two now, an Mack, poor
feller, I'm afeared he'll never see the black
berry blossoms ag'iu. He was terribly wounded
at the start an them hospitle muses. thest
in manner made it wuss Then here's IittIt
Dick, God SEN they won't want my baby
boy"
But they did. They wanted the baby boy
The hungry war dogs must snap and snarl
l,a I -1r-f s 7 TA,.E
How well remember the weakly looking
lad! Five feet, scant at that, slender and
boyisb Two great hollow eyes set in a
pinched, pale face. the unattractiveuess o:
which was heightened 10y q thin. scattered
head of sun scorched hair. A little whitish
fuzzy down on cheel; and chin, where the
beard should have appeared and the sur
ronndings given more encouragement Color
less complexion, save the sailow cast Of sun
burn and few blue veins up under the brim
of his Topped hat The i'll fitting clothes
hung about his person, and the boys said that !
he used to have TO drag his masset when our /
of breath on a long march.
Poor Aunt Nina! She left the bedside /
where the body OF her eTnaciated boy lay in
inert and Indifferent prostration between life .
and death, the manly tones q voice dwindled
down to querulous treble and the animated .
look changed to the vacant, Iervel,ss stare Of I
hopeleSness. She left this sorrowful scene /
to eufold IN 4 fond embrace the punv form /
of her baby hoy. Great tears chased one .
another down the bosom Of the III fitting jacket,
and kisses rained on the sunbuITsi cheek until .
the lips, parched with grief, were 10 longer .
able to drop the holy dew Of mothers love i
on the pale cheek Of her baby toy Betty .